mobile app bar

Fernando Alonso Explains Why It Was Crucial for Aston Martin to Opt for Unusual Soft Tire Strategy

Anirban Aly Mandal
Published

Fernando Alonso Explains Why It Was Crucial for Aston Martin to Opt for Unusual Soft Tire Strategy

Fernando Alonso had a bitter-sweet race at the 2024 Chinese GP. The Aston Martin driver started the race from third on the grid. In pure Fernando Alonso fashion, the 42-year-old made a great start and jumped Red Bull’s Sergio Perez to claim P2. He ran in second for the following laps before relinquishing the position back to Perez and eventually losing out to Lando Norris as well.

In the middle of the race, Aston Martin took the bizarre option of putting a set of soft tires during the first safety car on the AMR24 of Alonso. This meant he had to do a three-stop race whilst the others were on a two-stop strategy. In the aftermath, though, Alonso explained why it was a necessary call that their pit wall made.

Alonso was quoted on YouTube as explaining, “We only had one hard tire. In the middle of the hard stint, the Safety Car came. So, let’s say our good race tire was gone in a way after that Safety Car. So, yeah, we did not have any more options.”

Alonso’s stint on the red-walled soft tires meant that the #14 driver had to make a pit stop on lap 43 of the race. But, on a fresh set of mediums, the two-time world champion minimized the loss of race time. Putting on a show of overtakes, the Spaniard climbed through the field to grab a solid haul of points with a seventh-place finish.

The 42-year-old showed no signs of slowing down after re-signing with Aston Martin for 2025 and beyond recently. His Chinese GP performance was another statement of intent as many regarded the #14 driver’s race as one of the best drives of the Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso still feels Aston Martin have a long way to go before catching Red Bull

During the entirety of the Chinese GP weekend, Fernando Alonso drove at the sharp end of the field. Despite this, the Spanish racing ace considers the Aston Martin car for this year to be at best the fifth-fastest car on the grid.

If his insights about the performance of the AMR24 are indeed accurate, then, he’s been doing a stellar job behind its wheel. Alonso has been matching the pace of both, the Ferraris and McLarens. On the flip side, his teammate, Lance Stroll has struggled to break through into the top 5 on multiple occasions this season.

Alonso has dedicated himself to Aston Martin for the long term. With Honda’s imminent arrival in 2026, Alonso has been keen to maximize the results and learnings for the team on track to ensure the best possible foundation for the 2026 regulations. The Chinese GP was yet another step in that direction for the 42-year-old.

Post Edited By:Aishwary Gaonkar

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal

linkedin-icon

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

Share this article